Holiday Greetings from KBM

2013 has been another fantastic year of growth and innovation at KBM. This year, our aerial survey and LiDAR program has taken off, completing more than 5000km of corridor mapping and 22km2 of terrain mapping. Our Forest Resource Inventory (FRI) crews successfully completed approximately 3900 plots as part of ground-truthing for Ontario's new enhanced FRI (eFRI). Projects for 2014 include a new photo interpretation lab running shifts 24/7 to offer seamless service to our imagery clients, and a partnership with Hawkeye UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to offer data acquisition services and UAV sales in Ontario and beyond. From all of the KBM partners, we wish you all the best for the holiday season and a happy New Year!

KBM Wins Northern Ontario Business Export Award

Being adaptable and innovative, and doggedly pursuing new opportunities has served KBM Resources Group well. Over the last 30 years, KBM has proven that innovation, vision and adaptability are the keys to success in an ever-changing natural resources economy. KBM was presented the NOBA Export award this year in recognition of the company's expansion outside of Ontario, with over a quarter of our revenues from new business in Saskatchewan and in the US "Iron Range".

LiDAR: State of the Art in 3-D Imaging

In May of 2013, KBM purchased new state-of-the-art remote sensing equipment to complement its existing suite of camera systems and thermal imaging technology.

KBM's Harrier i68 has been kept very busy this season, successfully completing the acquisition and processing of over 5000km of corridor mapping and 22km2 of terrain mapping. All of the acquired data was processed in-house, along with any additional point cloud processing and feature extraction.

The Future of Aerial Imaging: Hawkeye Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)

KBM is pleased to announce a new partnership with Hawkeye UAV, a company specializing in unmanned aerial vehicles and point cloud/image processing. KBM will now add UAV data acquisition services and UAV sales to its growing suite of aerial survey services. UAV's are very well suited for smaller footprint projects (1-16km2) and scheduled monthly surveys. The RQ-84Z weighs approximately 12lbs with a total wingspan of 8'6". The UAV is battery-operated with an endurance of 90+ minutes per flight. Each unit is equipped with an inertia measurement unit (IMU) which allows for the collection of accurate (<.2m) terrain elevation data providing a suitable alternative to LiDAR for the production of digital terrain models. For more information or to attend an upcoming product demonstration, please contact Stephane Audet at 807-345-5445 ext. 229.

Entac: Paving New Trails in Soil Stabilization

A newly-built trail connecting the Bluffs to Centennial Park was paved using Entac mixed with aggregate. The result is a surface that mimics the properties of asphalt, while providing a far more soothing contrast to the surrounding natural environment than typical bituminous paving products. This trail is truly a 'green' alternative as it is comprised entirely of non-toxic, naturally benign materials.